366 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1681-85.

P. R. O.

Colonial
Papers.

required him to appeare afore the Councill 'tis utterly false and
malicious for when I and the said Badcock mett at the Chan-
cellor's there was not as many as would make a Councill
neither was M^r John Llewellin who is and has bin for these
several yeares Clerk of the Councill there present without
whom there could not be a Councill and this is certified by the
Chancellor and the said Llewellin and the same should have
been alsoe certified by the Secretary but that it pleased God
he was most unfortunately drowned some few dayes ago. Now
knowing that the said Badcock would certainly informe the
Comm^rs and complaine to them against me for he was so faire I
must owne tho' in a very rude manner afore the Chancellor and
Secretary to threaten me he would informe against me I writt
by the first opportunity to the Comm^rs & by my letter of the
7^th of June 1681. I signified what had passed betwixt me and
the s^d Badcock and with all desired that if I was in an error
they would please to pardon me and for the future sett me
right This Letter and M^r Badcock's complaint is that which lyes
out against me and is the occasion of His Majestie's high dis-
pleasure as if I had knowingly and in a most contemptuous
manner refused to assist His Majestie's Comptroller in the exe-
cuting his Office whereby His Majestie's service was obstructed
and the said Officer discouraged in his duty I now therefore
beg that this may be considered whether any person that has
any knowledge of me will think that if ever I had seen His
Majestie's Order in Councill of the 16^th of February 1680.
which I declare I never saw till after the said Badcock's death
it being sent me by the Comm^rs with their letter of the 19^th of
September 1681. which I received sometime in December last
the receipt of which I have acknowledged in my letter to them
of the 28^th January last I say if I had ever seen that order afore
Badcock's death whether I durst have presumed to refuse com-
plying therewith And as in that case my contempt and want
of loyalty and obedience to my Soveraignes comands would
have been the greatest that could be imagined soe my folly
would have been noe less in laying myselfe soe open to the
Comm^rs as I did by my letter of the 7^th of June 1681. if I had
wittingly, willingly and knowingly transgrest in my proceed-
ings with the said Badcock but as I did it ignorantly and kept
in that ignorance by the malice of Badcock who I confidently
beleeve might at that time have that order of the king in Coun-
cill by him, I hope I shall not be held soe impudent and foolish
as to send that letter of the 7^th of June to the Comm^rs of the
Customes as an acknowledgem^t of a wilfull disobedience in
me to His Majestie's Order in Councill or indeed to any
Instructions of the Comm^rs grounded upon the Act of the 25^th
of this king's reigne By which Act itselfe had M^r Badcock